When mum-of-two Laura Hinde was suffering with a chest infection, the last thing that she was expecting was to diagnosed with a rare neurological condition, thought to affect less than 1,000 people in the UK, just a little over a year later.
However, that is exactly what happened to Laura, 28, whose life changed forever when her own body began to rebel against her in September 2018.
Expecting to recover from what she thought was a "general chest infection", Laura's immune system had other ideas, and began to attack her spinal chord causing tremors and a loss of feeling down both of her arms, Cheshire Live writes.
She said: "You could have put a needle in me and I probably wouldn't have felt it."
Those initial symptoms cleared up when Laura, from Ellesmere Port, had an MRI scan and it was hoped that her experience was a "one-off".
But then she completely lost her sight in her left eye, resulting in her being referred to The Walton Centre in Liverpool where specialists, through blood tests, got to the bottom of her issues.
Laura, who works part-time at Lloyds Banking Group on Chester Business Park, was diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder - also known as Devic’s Disease.
It's a rare neurological disorder that attacks the optic nerves, brain, and spinal cord, sometimes leading to long-term disabilities and in some cases even paralysis.
As it stands, there is currently no cure.
Laura, who has two daughters - Sophia, nine, and Chloe, four, is sharing her story as March is a month dedicated to raising awareness of the disorder.
During the first Covid lockdown, when she began medication to control her symptoms and was forced to shield, Laura began running support sessions for fellow sufferers from across the globe via Zoom, and has become an ambassador for The Sumaira Foundation - a dedicated charity funding vital research.
Looking back at when her symptoms first began, Laura said: "I'd put the tremors down to anxiety because I'd been diagnosed with post-natal depression.
"When I lost my sight that really changed things for me. I could see nothing but darkness. You're used to having sight in both eyes and you take it a little bit for granted.
"Luckily after a high dose of steroids my sight returned over a period of about six months but I do still get blurred vision at times.
"When I was diagnosed I thought right, I've got this condition forever, and searched for help but realised there was nothing available in this country.
"I volunteered for a charity in the US and began running support groups around the world. I have been quite lucky. My condition is under control with medication.
"I've recovered quite well compared to others I've spoken to which is why I'm doing what I'm doing.
"Initially with it being lockdown I thought why now? Dealing with this in the middle of everything else going on, knowing that I could be put at risk.
"But we managed. I look back now and I enjoyed that time. I put my efforts into spending time with the kids and raising awareness."
Sadly, Laura lost her mum last year - at the age of just 51 - after a long battle with MS.
She had been a huge support mechanism for Laura during her diagnosis.
Despite her loss, Laura remains positive about the future.
She explained: "Yes, the last few years have been difficult, but I wouldn’t change any of it.
"It's given me a greater appreciation of life and a passion for helping others, most importantly it’s made me who I am today.
"My hopes for the future are to make sure that nobody else goes through this journey alone, and that patients and caregivers have access to the most up to date and relevant information, support, guidance as well as access to all treatments available."
For more information about the disorder, visit sumairafoundation.org.
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